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I thought this deserved its own thread (I know it's been discussed in the Hayward injury thread), as the NBA apparently just granted the Celtics the DPE for the Gordon Hayward injury, according to sources. Here's an article already up about who they might want to target. No surprise getting the DPE, but it means now the clock is ticking. The DPE can be used at any point until March 10. Some possible targets the writer mentions: Gerald Green (we can do better than that, no?), Brandon Rush, Mike Dunleavy, Matt Barnes.

Some questions I have: (1) Who else should they be looking at? Maybe a big guy to give them more length, especially if Milwaukee shapes up as a big threat in the East? (2) Timing: How long do they wait, to see the strengths and weaknesses of this team, before making a move? I doubt they'd wait until March to pull the trigger -- at that point, anyone they picked up would have the challenge of integrating into the team before the playoffs -- but do you wait a couple of months? (3) Is it possible that they decide not to use the DPE, to save some salary and give the rookies more room to run?

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Nope, the determination is only that the player is more likely than not to be unable to play before the date (Jue 15? I forget the exact date), based on the league's experts. If he comes back early he can play. One of the reasons that you don't get an extra roster spot.

I don't see anyone worth a move for right now, and I'd just sit on it and see who shakes loose later in the season, it's good until March.

Well-Known Member

Brian Robb at the Boston Sports Journal has a good article that lays out what the C’s can do with it. He speculates that they’ll hold it until 2018 when a) more players are made available and b) the C’s know what they have. The other notable element is that they there aren’t any penalties if the use the exemption and Hayward comes back.

Baynes Hogan (pending trade)

Think the Celtics make a move after the trade date(Feb.9) for a vet that is bought out by a tanking team (already posted about the reasons for this). Here is a random guess on who may be available if the Celtics wait.

The Mavs look like a team that is re-building (Cuban has said as much). They may want to buy Wesley Matthews out after trying to trade him. Trading him will be tricky since he is owed $17.9M this year and $18.6M next season, most contenders won't have non-core players making a salary that can match up for Wesley. So if the Mavs fail to move him by the trade date, Wes/his agent/and Mavs mgmt know the Celts have an $8.4M DPE. They can build that into the buyout.

So if the Mavs offered Wes $10MM ($6MM for last 1/3 of this season and $4MM for next season) he may take it.

Net-net Wes could actually make more by accepting the buyout: contract calls for $6MM (this year) + $18.6MM (next year) ~ $24.6MM total. Using buyout, Wes gets $10MM + $8.4MM (Celtic DPE) + potentially $7MM or more (free agency 18-19) ~ $25.4MM total + he gets to play for a contender and showcase his talent.

The Mavs open up cap space ($14.6MM) for next season, play cost-controlled youngsters during Wes' minutes and save a few shekels in the process (more $$$ for Shark Tank).

Veterans potentially available to the Celtics could come from tanking teams that want to open up future cap space, by buying out high-cost vets, on multi-year deals, that are too expensive to be traded but want to play for a contender, and explore free agency next year.

Go Leafs Go

Cosign.
Robb also included a list of potential targets, and noted that the Celtics are likely to hold on to the exception for now. The 2 times it is more likely to be used are: 1) after Dec 15th, when a whole bunch of players who were signed this offseason become eligible to be traded, 2) around buyout time towards the end of the year.

The exception grants us space for players under $8.4mil so I've excluded all players over $8.4mil (e.g. Avery Bradley, Marc Gasol).

The exception can only be used in a trade for a player who is in the last year of his contract, so that excludes anyone who has multiple years left in their contract (e.g. Dragan Bender, Shaun Livingston).

The exception needs to be used by 3/10/17, so I'm excluding all players that we cannot trade for until after that date (i.e. Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder)

I'm going to exclude anyone under 2.6mil because we could trade for them under normal circumstances without using our DPE and it would be a waste to use it.

Any player with a player option for 18-19 needs to waive it for the trade to go through. I believe that team options aren’t a factor in the DPE, but someone could correct me.

The exception grants us space for players under $8.4mil so I've excluded all players over $8.4mil (e.g. Avery Bradley, Marc Gasol).

The exception can only be used in a trade for a player who is in the last year of his contract, so that excludes anyone who has multiple years left in their contract (e.g. Dragan Bender, Shaun Livingston).

The exception needs to be used by 3/10/17, so I'm excluding all players that we cannot trade for until after that date (i.e. Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder)

I'm going to exclude anyone under 2.6mil because we could trade for them under normal circumstances without using our DPE and it would be a waste to use it.

Any player with a player option for 18-19 needs to waive it for the trade to go through. I believe that team options aren’t a factor in the DPE, but someone could correct me.

I streamlined this list to eliminate people who aren't getting traded or who would only get traded if they are awful. That means very few options from contenders are left and young players who have high ceilings are mostly cut. I think what's left is a reasonable shot of the trade options.

The high end of the talent pool here is basically a guy like Dedmon, who is a very good bench big and would fit great if we want to play bigger a bit more often.

There are a few other veteran roleplayers who might be worth a late first, but I suspect we're more likely to wait out buyout season because anyone we acquire is probably not getting resigned due to long term cap issues, and anyone worthwhile as a trade target probably takes a late first, which isn't worth giving up to marginally improve the bench this year.

The kids like Okafor or Randle don't make sense because of long term cost and because they aren't as good as Smart. Even if Stevens could, say, fix Okafor, he's unlikely to be a positive this year so all we'd be doing was helping him get paid.

Well-Known Member

Marco Bellinelli is a little bit interesting. We'd need to see how the youngs play for a bit, but I could imagine him helping. Not sure I'd give up a real asset for him, though, so unless there's another injury it's probably more of a 'second round pick in early 2018' situation to save Hawks some money while they tank.

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I don't think there's anyone on that list that is such a difference maker to this team that you even consider using the exception right now. Waiting let's you see who else becomes available (either through buyout, or on that list but on a team that drops out of contention), as well as see where the C's really need the help (C? PF? SG?), especially in the event of any other serious injuries.

Member

I'd rather have Okafor on the minimum than Monroe on the DPE if it meant acquiring a guard who can shoot the ball besides Kyrie. Preferably one that can also pass the ball a little. I'm guessing that would cost more than the min. Basically a Shane Larkin upgrade, except that he actually plays. If not, I'd be glad with Monroe as he's a better player than Okafor. I just don't see it as a huge need. His main skill is rebounding which the Celtics are good at and he's not really that efficient of a scorer for the role he plays.

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I'd rather have Okafor on the minimum than Monroe on the DPE if it meant acquiring a guard who can shoot the ball besides Kyrie. Preferably one that can also pass the ball a little. I'm guessing that would cost more than the min. Basically a Shane Larkin upgrade, except that he actually plays. If not, I'd be glad with Monroe as he's a better player than Okafor. I just don't see it as a huge need. His main skill is rebounding which the Celtics are good at and he's not really that efficient of a scorer for the role he plays.

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The top two realistic SG targets are probably Marco Belinelli and Seth Curry (if he comes back healthy). Both are UFAs on terrible teams, both can provide some spacing off the bench, and both are varying degrees of cheap (Belinelli is at $6.3M, Curry is at just under $3M).

Where would those 20 minutes come from? Theis already lost playing time when Morris returned.

Irving is playing roughly 33 minutes a night (he played 2 last night, lowering his MPG to 31 atm), Horford and Brown play 32. Tatum and Smart are another 30 each. That's 157 minutes. Morris and Rozier will be around 24 a night, Baynes at 20. That brings you to 225. So that leaves 15 or so minutes for Semi, Theis and Monroe.

Even if you don't play Semi or Theis, you'd get a 15 minute role for Monroe. There really is no room. The same can be said for any player they acquire really. Injuries happen though, so wait for them to happen.

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They are absolutely going to wait and see who gets hurt before they use the DPE, especially as long as they keep winning with the guys they have. That being said, in the breakdown you've laid out you can cut a couple of minutes each from Rozier/Smart/Brown pretty painlessly, plus it would probably be beneficial if you can manage Tatum's minutes a bit during his jump to what is hopefully a 90+ game season. If they can add an above average offensive player so the second unit stops looking like a masonry convention, they'll find minutes for him.

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It's too bad the Knicks might be competing for a playoff spot this year because Enes Kanter would look great on the Celtics 2nd unit. I'm guessing they could probably get a 1st from some team for him though so it's irrelevant anyway.

I've been living a lie.

It's too bad the Knicks might be competing for a playoff spot this year because Enes Kanter would look great on the Celtics 2nd unit. I'm guessing they could probably get a 1st from some team for him though so it's irrelevant anyway.

Member

I didn't say I didn't want to add him, just that there aren't minutes for him and that I don't want him at the full DPE at this moment in time. That could change in February. I think Kanter is a far better player than Monroe and someone you'd make minutes for and I'd spend the full DPE on him right now. I'm probably much lower on Monroe than others though.

Baynes Hogan (pending trade)

Dallas is going nowhere and has no reason to keep him around if Merji, Powell, Kleber, and their 2018 #1 pick are the future at the 5. Plus they may want to continue their Dirk Farewell Tour without Nerlens grumbling on the bench.

Baynes Hogan (pending trade)

It's too bad the Knicks might be competing for a playoff spot this year because Enes Kanter would look great on the Celtics 2nd unit. I'm guessing they could probably get a 1st from some team for him though so it's irrelevant anyway.

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